The hivemind is conquering for me?

Hailey's emotions shifted in a moment to something all her guards recognised. Pure unadulterated anger. The woman in front of Hailey was confused by the sudden hostility from the woman she loved dearly.

Just as Hailey was about to do something drastic at the slander of Apollo, A voice was heard from behind her. "Oh You have a problem with my son, Lady Milanna?" Gabrielle's voice caused Milanna to look over at who was brave enough to interrupt a conversation between two Centurions. When she recognised the figure that did so she-

"Eeep! Hailey protect me!" Milanna said, as she covered behind her crush, not so subtly getting a whiff of the princess' hair in the process. She has had a few run ins with the crazy purple haired thing in front of her and she was not ashamed to admit that she was terrified of her.

"Will you get off me!" Hailey exclaimed, pushing the woman away from her. As though losing proximity to the princess had caused her neurons to start firing normally again, she grew slight confidence and exclaimed. "Wait, your son?" Milanna then turned to Hailey with a complex look.

"No... My beautiful princess... Don't tell me you have a fling with that creature's offspring? You don't know if her crazy is hereditary... Also, I thought you abandoned your son to die? Isn't that-"

"Gabrielle no!" Milanna suddenly heard Hailey yell, but her vision was obscured by an object. Her ears however could hear the sounds of guns being drawn from either side of her. As she turned, both her own troops and Hailey's were pointed towards her and now that she looked properly Gabrielle.

The fact that she didn't even feel or see Gabrielle's approach scared her beyond belief, but she remained composed as she ordered her troops. "Stand down all, I overstepped our banter and crossed a line. There is no need for hostility, we are all friends here after all."

Gabrielle was breathing heavily as she stared at the Centurion before her. If she followed through, there would have been hell to pay as not only was she about to kill a high ranking member of Spartari military, she was about to kill the daughter of the Archon of Ecumenopolis 5.

As influential as Hugo was, he wouldn't be able to dig her out of that mess... As she pulled her fist back, Gabrielle patted her attire down a moment before shooting daggers from her eyes towards Milanna and warned.

"Mention my Son in a negative connotation one more time in front of me and I will happily bear the mantle of traitor. Do you understand?" Gabrielle didn't wait for confirmation before turning around as she began to walk back inside. Someone needed to pack up Hailey's crap after all.

As much as she didn't want to, Hailey now had to do damage control and spoke. "I am hungry Lady Milanna, would you care for something to eat with me?" Milanna's confusion from what just happened turned into a radiant smile as she flirted. "I don't know, are you on the menu princess?"

Hailey groaned in regret before she simply turned around, not caring if Milanna followed her or not. The new centurion did not in fact follow right away. Her eyes were glued to her perfect princess' rear in her pants.

She only came to when she felt the beginnings of a nosebleed come on before shouting after Hailey. "Wait! I'm coming!"

...

As the two of them planted simple ration trays down onto a table, since she both have been in the military long enough to care little about fancy feasts, Hailey asked. "So why are you here Milanna? And how do you outrank me by multiple classes? We graduated at the same time."

Milanna took off her hat and unfurled her blonde hair from its bun shaking it a moment ,as sexy as possible before staring at Hailey with her golden iris', giving Hailey the 'fuck me eyes' as she explained. "Well darling, as amazing as you are, you have very few combat missions under your belt. I however have had my fleet in constant war against the Drakoshi for multiple years. When you keep bringing war bounties in the shape of the lumbering buffoons' heads back to command, you tend to get promotions left and right."

Milanna paused, waiting for praise from Hailey, but the princess simply placed her hands under her perfect chin as though awaiting more. The gears were churning In Milanna's head before she realised.

"Oh, sorry darling. I forgot. This was not some scheme or anything. I had been on the war front for so long, that King Sigismund himself contacted my ship, telling me to take some PTO. When I said that I only wish to serve the empire like all true sons and daughters, he said that I could take over a checkpoint position for a short time and treat that like a vacation and a way to destress from the 'terrors of war.'

When I found out there was a vacancy for Hailey Athena's leave for two months before another replacement took your place, I was all over it. I will do anything to see you after all. I missed you so much!"

Milanna then tried to reach her hand over the table to get just a little bit more physical contact with her princess. Unfortunately, Hailey pulled away and Milanna had a gut-wrenching feeling as to why.

"So..." She paused to look around the room to make sure a certain someone was not in ear shot. "Tell me about the insane woman's son." Milanna instantly regretted asking as she watched the princess, whom she has only seen express emotions a few times, bloom a smile so beautiful that it brought her to tears at the fact that she was witnessing such beauty and the horrible fact that it was someone else that caused her that smile.

"Apollo is..." Hailey thought of the right word to describe her man, causing Milanna to rapid fire thoughts in her mind. 'Powerful? Charming? Seductive? Submissive? Dominant? Rich? Tell me, I can be that for you!' She thought to herself.

"Different." Hailey said, causing Milanna to look at her confused. "Different? Different to what?" She asked calmly, but inside a storm was brewing. She needed to know how to be the perfect woman for her Hailey. Only then would her princess accept her abundance of love. She had SO. MUCH. TO. GIVE!

A dreamy look overtook Hailey's face. As much as Milanna annoyed her, she was technically one of the only 'friends' she had. She felt it ok to share a little bit about her man. "Apollo isn't like... Well he is like no other noble I have ever met. Everyone, even you and me, are stuck up, entitled and always have an agenda. It was how we were raised. Strive for power and make Spartari greater with that power.

Apollo. He simply doesn't care. It might sound like an insult, but I adore the quality from the bottom of my heart. Apollo is simple. He lives solely in the moment of things. No politics, no currying for favour around other nobles. He simply is just Apollo. What you see on the front cover is also the rest of the book."

Milanna snorted at Hailey, before going wide-eyed realising she had just been rude. "I am sorry darling, but that just sounds like he is acting... Have you considered he is just acting like that to get in your pants? He might be using you to get close to the throne after all."

Hailey raised her eyebrow at Milanna. "You just made my point Mil. Agenda. Trying to manipulate my opinion of him using my hatred for my father. It comes so naturally you don't even realise you just did it."

Milanna gasped. 'Was that what I was trying to do? I-I don't know?' She thought to herself, thinking perhaps her crush was onto something. Her mind that was already contemplating a heavy topic now, almost caved in as Hailey dropped a few bombshells in a row.

"Plus, I have basically thrown myself at him a couple of times. Like you said, I performed a Carcer with him and kissed him at the end. WHOOSH! Right over his head. Then one night at his club I faked being drunk and grabbed his penis through his pants, but I got scared and ran away. And a handful of other small encounters like that.

Also, at the Queen's birthday party, Apollo was bantering With uncle Sigismund like they were best buds, so if he wanted to be close to the throne, heck he is already at the door. I would even offer him a welcome basket to come in if that is what he wanted."

As Milanna tried to forget the implication of Hailey's welcome basket, Hailey then suddenly extended her hand out and placed it onto hers, causing all thoughts to cease.

"By the way, on the off chance that Apollo does come to see me on his way back to the Ecumenopolis, I want you to let me know." Hailey then pulled out a crystal from her jacket pocket and said. "This is a communicator that only relays to me. Can I trust you with this task, Centurion?"

Milanna barely recalled what Hailey just said. The main thing she understood was that by agreeing, she will now have a direct way to contact Hailey.

"I will do it!"